The Sister of Two Kings

HRH PRINCESS GALYANI VADHANA 1923 - 2008
It is already difficult to be a sister of a king but Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana was the sister of two Kings of Thailand.

HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra was the elder sister of two Thai Kings.Like her brothers - HM King Ananda Mahidol (King Rama VIII, who passed away in 1946) and the reigning monarch HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) - Her Royal Highness commanded love and respect from Thais across the country.Like her mother HRH the Princess Sri Nagarindra, the Princess Mother, she was the patron of many foundations that work seriously for the well-being of Thais. HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana was born Her Serene Highness Mom Chao Galyani Vadhana on May 6, 1923 in London to HRH the Prince of Songkla and his consort Mom Sangwal - who was later the mother of two Thai kings. The princess was a direct granddaughter of HM King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). On her birth certificate, her name was registered as "May". Later, HM King Vajiravudh (King Rama VI) graciously named her "Mom Chao Galyani Vadhana". Then in 1927, his successor HM King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) elevated her to the rank of "Her Highness".Born in London, the princess was in the United Kingdom until the age of six months old, when her parents brought her back to Thailand. On 1 July 1925, her family moved to Germany, where HM King Ananda Mahidol was born on 20 September that year.In 1926, her parents had to travel back to Thailand to attend the funeral of HM King Vajiravudh and coronation of HM King Prajadhipok. So, the royal couple placed their children under the care of Champ Soleil in Lausanne - a place that Dr Francis B Sayre - former adviser to the Foreign Affairs Ministry - had recommended as having good hygienic standards. The princess and her brother were at the Champ Soleil for some months. By the time their parents picked them up, the young princess was already able to speak some French. In late 1926, HRH the Prince of Songkla took his family to the United States, where he pursued a degree in medicine at Harvard University, while his wife briefly studied psychology, cooking and nutrition at a college. In the United States, Her Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana enrolled at Park School for her kindergarten education. In 1927, her family welcomed their youngest member, a baby boy who would later become the world's longest reigning monarch. In 1928, HRH the Prince of Songkla graduated from Harvard University and returned to Thailand with his family. They lived in Sa Pathum Palace, with the Princess studying at the Rajini School.When the Princess was just six years old, her father passed away. A year after, Thailand changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, and in 1933 her family moved to Lausanne.Back in Switzerland, the young princess was put under the care of Champ Soleil for two months so she could brush up on her French. After that, she attended the Miremont School for primary education.In 1934, HM King Prajadhipok abdicated and the Royal Thai Government invited Prince Ananda Mahidol to take the throne. In 1935, after her brother ascended the throne - as HM King Ananda Mahidol or King Rama VIII - the Princess was elevated to a higher rank of princess, Her Royal Highness. The family also rented a larger estate in Pully in honour of the young king. The estate was named "Villa Vadhana". In that year, the young princess enrolled at a girl's school, Ecole Superieure de Jeunes Filles de la Ville de Lausanne, where she also studied German and Latin. In 1938, she enrolled at the International School of Geneva, where she had demonstrated impressive academic performances. When she completed her secondary education, the Princess was the top scorer at her school and got the third best marks in Switzerland. In late 1938, she visited Thailand with her family. It was the first time HM King Ananda Mahidol had set his foot in Thailand as monarch. In 1942, the princess enrolled at the Lausanne University. Six years later, after the war, in 1948, she received the Diplome de Chimiste A. While there, she also studied literature and philosophy. In Switzerland, the Princess married Colonel Aram Rattakun Serireongrit and the couple had one daughter, Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram. In 1950, the Princess returned to Thailand. With her love for teaching, she did not hesitate when her mother suggested she should take up a job teaching. In 1951, the Princess became a special lecturer in French language at the Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts. She taught French Conversation, French Civilisation and French Literature. She taught there until 1958.In 1969, the Princess accepted an invitation to become a full-time lecturer at Thammasat University's Faculty of Liberal Arts. She was in charge of both teaching and administrative tasks as the head of French Language and French Literature Department and the director of foreign languages. The Princess taught French Language and French Literature to students. She also supervised classes conducted by both Thai and foreign teachers under her department. In 1973, the Princess successfully introduced a programme in French language and French literature. During her years at Thammasat, she was also a guest lecturer for Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Humanities. Despite her love for teaching, the Princess finally resigned from Thammasat in 1976 to tend to other obligations, and to help with her mother's work.However, even after stepping down from her full-time job, the Princess continued to be a guest lecturer at various universities. When she heard that the Prince of Songkla University's Faculty of Humanities suffered a shortage of teaching staff at its Pattani campus due to its remoteness and security problem, she agreed to stay at the campus to help conduct classes. The Princess has contributed to the country's education in various other ways. She sat on a committee to select who should win scholarships from the Office of Civil Service Commission to pursue degrees abroad. She chaired a committee that designed French exams for national entrance tests. In 1977, she also founded the Association Thailandaise Des Professeurs de Francais (Association of Teachers of French in Thailand) with the aim of providing a place where French-language teachers and lecturers could meet and exchange experiences to help improve their instruction. The Princess chaired the association from 1977 to 1981, and later remained as its honorary chairwoman. In 1978, Thammasat University bestowed her an adjunct professorship. xSince 1989, the Princess has supported students representing Thailand in the Academic Olympiads. She has also granted patronage to the Promotion of Academic Olympiads and Development of Science Education Foundation.The Siamese Association of University Women is under her patronage also. In addition to education, the Princess also did much social work. She was patron of the Thai Cardiac Children's Foundation, Foundation for Slum Children, Foundation for the Yuwaprasart Waitayopatham Hospital, Foundation for Children with Mental Disabilities, Foundation for Rajvithi Hospital, Green World Foundation and Hospital for Tropical Diseases Foundation. She has chaired many other foundations including the Kidney Foundation of Thailand and Breast Foundation. By granting her patronage, she worked closely with these organisations to try to ensure their work really benefited people, especially the underprivileged. In 1995, in the year of the Princess' sixth cycle birthday, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej bestowed her with the title of Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra, a traditional Siamese custom dating back to the Ayutthaya period. In announcing the honoured title, His Majesty said the Princess was his only elder sister. She had been with him, through good times and bad, since they were very young. She was the one who had won his respect and the one who always supported him with the hope of making him happy. She had represented His Majesty to carry out various royal works and had always taken good care of their mother, which was a great relief to His Majesty. The King also appreciated the great contributions the Princess had done for the people of Thailand through various works. After her mother passed away in 1995, the Princess continued to carry out the Princess Mother's royal works. She was honorary chairwoman of the Princess Mother's Medical Volunteer Foundation and the Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother. The Princess was also a writer. Based on her extensive travel experiences, her literary works included 'Bhutan: Green Island on Land', 'Is it cold in Siberia?', 'Turkey: Land of the Roman Emperors and Ottoman Sultans', 'Xinjian and Gansu: Pictures from Faraway Places', and 'Eastern China: Mountains, Lakes, Temples'.The princess also wrote books about her families. One of them was "Chao Nai Lek Lek - Yuwakrasat" (Little Royal Member - the Young King"), which she described as "not a book to honour His Majesty. It's the book an elder sister writes for her younger brother when he is celebrates his 5th cycle birthday on 5 December 1987, so that we together recall our childhood, both sadness and happiness, and share our stories with others".

Energy and the presidential race

CNNMoney.com asked the leading presidential candidates 6 questions we think are central to the country's twin energy challenge: Satisfying growing energy demand while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The leading candidates were chosen based on the most recent national polls. Responses come directly from the candidates or their public statements.

Rudy Giuliani
The former New York City mayor is surprisingly vague about what his energy policy would be as president.Despite his front-runner status in the Republican field, Giuliani's position on energy issues is the least well-developed: It's not easy to see where he stands on 4 of the 6 questions. Giuliani is the only candidate who hasn't clearly stated his energy policy on his official Web site.However, a position paper provided to CNNMoney.com by Giuliani's campaign said the candidate supports renewable technologies, biofuel, clean coal, expanding nuclear power and conservation measures. But the paper didn't set any specific targets for energy consumption or renewable funding.Giuliani supports increased oil drilling. "America must expand environmentally-responsible access to the proven oil and natural gas reserves," the paper stated. But it didn't mention whether he supports additional drilling in U.S. coastal waters or opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Like all the Republican candidates, Giuliani does not support tax increases of any kind, presumably ruling out a gas tax hike.

Mike Huckabee
The up-and-comer's views on energy issues match those of Democrats except that he supports drilling in Alaska.The former Arkansas governor, who has surged in recent polls, says achieving energy independence would be one of his top priorities."We have to explore, we have to conserve, and we have to pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel, and biomass," reads a statement on the candidate's Web site.Huckabee supports proposals in Congress that would boost vehicle gas mileage from 25 miles a gallon to 35 miles a gallon by 2020, require utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable power by 2020 and install a mandatory cap on carbon dioxide emissions, according to the environmental news site Grist.org.He also supports oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in offshore U.S. waters, according to Grist.

John McCain
John McCain has been a long-time supporter of carbon caps and wants some new drilling in U.S. coastal waters.McCain has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration for failing to cap carbon emissions, and he has pushed for a mandatory carbon cap as early as 2003."Strengthening our energy security goes hand-in-hand with addressing global climate change, which is real with human activity contributing to the buildup of greenhouse gases," the McCain campaign said in an email to CNNMoney.com.He favors raising fuel efficiency standards, but didn't say by how much. He did not vote for a recent Senate bill that included over $20 billion in new funding for renewables and conservation, paid largely by new taxes on the oil industry. Critics of that bill, including the White House, said it would crimp domestic energy production, raising prices for consumers.The McCain campaign supports limited new drilling off the U.S. coast, but opposes it in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

Mitt Romney
Romney supports drilling in Alaska and higher fuel efficiency standards, but breaks with most other candidates when it comes to capping carbon emissions.The Utah Governor, currently seeing resurgence in the Iowa polls, makes much of energy independence."Our military and economic strength depend on our becoming energy independent -- moving past symbolic measures to actually produce as much energy as we use," Romney said on his Web site.To that end, he wants to "dramatically increase" federal funding for a host of alternative energy technologies, although he doesn't support raising taxes on oil companies to do it."When you tax something, you get less of it," Romney said in an email to CNNMoney.com. "If we raise taxes on investment in domestic energy, we will have less domestic energy production, and will therefore become even more dependent on foreign supplies."Romney does support drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge as a way to wean the country off foreign oil.Romney is unclear about whether or not he supports federal caps on carbon emissions. Most other candidates -- except for Giuliani -- strongly support such a measure.While he indicated that reducing our carbon footprint was important, he did not directly address the question of whether or not he supports federal caps on emissions. "While it is likely that human activity is contributing to climate change, I am not sure how much, or what we can do to significantly reduce or reverse this effect," Romney said in the email.

Hillary Clinton
The Democratic front-runner favors the broad energy goals set by the Democratic-controlled Congress.Like the other main Democratic candidates, Clinton wouldn't raise the gas tax and is opposed to drilling in the Arctic but supports carbon caps, conservation and taxing Big Oil."A cap-and-trade system [for carbon dioxide] is a better approach [than a gas tax] because it guarantees that we will meet our environmental goals - something that a gasoline tax cannot," Clinton said in an email to CNNMoney.com.Like all the Democrats, the New York senator supports a mandatory carbon cap that would cut emissions 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. That is the amount scientists say is necessary to avoid widespread flooding and drought.Clinton also supports an increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030.

John Edwards
Edwards is also solidly in the Democrats' energy camp, but he holds some novel ideas of his own.Edwards has plans that are in line with his party on raising mileage standards, taxing Big Oil, funding renewables and using more green power."Our generation must be the one that builds the new energy economy," Edwards said on his Web site. "It is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war."Edwards highlights the farmer and the contributions rural America can have in combating global warming.In addition to a big biofuels mandate, he'd allow farmers to sell carbon credits to industry if they mange their land in a climate-friendly way, like by planting more trees or capturing methane emissions from cattle.He'd also create a "GreenCorps," a kind of domestic PeaceCorps that would enlist young people to weatherize homes, install solar panels and do other energy-related projects.

Barack Obama
Although generally aligned with other Democrats on the bigger energy issues, Obama highlights urban development patterns in his energy policies.Like Clinton, Obama plans on investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to promote alternative energy and conservation. He would require the nation's utilities to get 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025, a higher standard than the one recently proposed and rejected in Congress.Unlike Clinton, Obama's Web site talks extensively of saving energy by reshaping the way the country builds its communities."We know that the amount of fuel we will use is directly related to our land-use decisions and development patterns, much of which have been organized around the principle of cheap gasoline," the candidate said on his Web site.The Illinois senator, currently second among Democrats in national polls, proposes rewarding towns with federal transportation money for smart development decisions. He also would require states to plan with energy conservation in mind, a policy that is now only encouraged. Obama favors giving employers more tax breaks when they encourage employees to use mass transit, as opposed to current rules in which drivers get twice the benefit.

Hyundai sees strong growth in '08

World's sixth-largest automaker says it will generate $49B in revenue this year despite concerns about U.S. economic weakness.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Hyundai Motor Co. forecast a double-digit increase in sales for 2008 on expanded overseas production and stronger marketing.
Global sales this year will total 3.11 million vehicles, an increase of 19.6 percent from 2007, Hyundai said in a statement Wednesday.
That will generate 46 trillion won ($49 billion) in revenue in 2008, the company said, an increase of 12.2 percent from the year before.
"We must maximize our sales and marketing efforts in order to get closer to our customers, to grow the brand and improve profitability," Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-koo told employees in a New Year's address Wednesday.
Sales grew 4.1 percent to 2.6 million vehicles in 2007, Hyundai said.
Some analysts said Hyundai may be too optimistic given the impact of the broadening mortgage crisis in the United States. Defaults on high-risk housing loans have tightened global credit and opened the possibility the U.S. may slip into a recession this year.
Yong Dae-in, an analyst at Hanwha Securities, said he expects Hyundai sales to come in at about 2.6 million vehicles this year, similar to last year.
"I think Mr. Chung's comments today (were) for journalists and to push their marketing department," he said.
Yet other foreign carmakers, including Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC) of Japan, are predicting sales growth in the U.S, despite energy prices, the housing slump and edgy consumers that did not show up in force during the traditional holiday season.
Hyundai, along with affiliate Kia Motors Corp., (KIMTF) is the world's sixth-largest automaker and has ambitions to crack the top five by 2010.
The companies are expanding aggressively overseas. Hyundai already has plants in China, India, Turkey and the United States and is building another in the Czech Republic.
A second factory in India, which started production last year, is expected to hit full capacity early in 2008, said Hyundai spokesman Jake Jang. Hyundai's second Chinese plant will start up in May, he said.
Hyundai, which has been seeking to raise its profile, is for the first time an official sponsor of the Super Bowl, to be played Feb. 3.
As part of an image makeover, the company plans to introduce the Genesis, a new luxury car meant to compete with the likes of Toyota's Lexus.
The vehicle is set to go on sale in South Korea this month, with launches in China and the United States during the first half of the year, Hyundai said last month.
Kia, meanwhile, expects sales of 1.7 million vehicles in 2008, for a gain of about 24 percent over last year.
The company has two factories in China, one in Slovakia and is building another in the United States.

Stocks set to welcome in '08

Futures point to positive open on first trading day of the year; Fed minutes, readings on construction spending and manufacturing on tap.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wall Street traders are set to start returning to work Wednesday, and they'll have no shortage of economic readings to sift through on the first trading day of 2008.
Stock futures were higher in early trading, indicating a strong start ahead of a number of key economic reports.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's Dec. 11 meeting are due at 2 p.m. ET, with investors and economists looking for clues as to what the Fed might do with rates at upcoming meetings. The markets sold off after the Dec. 11 meeting as many investors had been looking for a half-point cut rather than the quarter-point cut that was announced.
A closely watched December survey of manufacturing executives from the Institute of Supply Management is due at 10 a.m. ET, as is a government report on construction spending in November.
Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the ISM index slipped to 50.5 from a 50.8 reading in November. A reading of 50 is the tipping point between growth or contraction in the sector, and a 50.5 reading would be the weakest reading since January and the sixth straight month of slower growth.
Construction spending, which has been supported by strong non-residential construction in the face of the housing slump, is forecast to see a 0.4 percent decline in November, following a 0.8 percent drop in October.
The busy economic calendar comes as Wall Street gets back to business after the holiday break. Stock markets were closed Tuesday for New Year's.
Stocks closed out 2007 with gains. The Dow gained 6.4 percent, the S&P 500 added 3.5 percent and the Nasdaq rose 9.8 percent. But the last few months have been marked by volatility, and the new year brings plenty of uncertainty about the housing slump and its effect on the broader U.S. economy.
Overseas markets kicked off 2008 with a mixed start. In Asia, markets in Hong Kong and South Korea ended lower. Japanese markets were closed. European stocks were higher in midday trading, boosted by merger chatter.
Oil prices rose in early trading on supply worries. A barrel of light sweet crude for February delivery rose $1.14 to $97.12 in electronic trading.
In corporate news, a federal judge ordered wireless giant Qualcomm (QCOM, Fortune 500) to stop selling data chips that infringe on patents belonging to its smaller rival Broadcom (BRCM), in a ruling late Monday. Qualcomm shares fell 0.4 percent in Frankfurt trading early Wednesday, while Broadcom shares edged higher.
PHH Corp (PHH) said early Tuesday that that it was pulling the plug on the deal to be purchased by General Electric (GE, Fortune 500) and private equity firm Blackstone Group (BX). Under the merger announced March 15, General Electric Capital Corp. was to get the fleet management business, while PHH's mortgage origination business was to be folded into Blackstone's mortgage operations. But that Blackstone unit informed PHH Corp that it wasn't able to obtain the requisite debt financing, according to PHH's statement.
Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) share of the personal computer market grew sharply in December due to strong holiday sales of MacBooks, according to a survey released Tuesday from Net Applications. The survey estimated Apple now has 7.3 percent of the market, up from 6.8 percent in November. The survey also reported gains for Apple's iPhone.
Centro Properties Group (CEOPF), an Australian firm that owns more than 600 U.S. retail properties, mostly strip malls, announced early Wednesday it is putting itself up for sale. The firm said a recently announced strategic review had resulted in significant unsolicited interest of its assets from a range of potential buyers.